Automatic stopping and starting



, w. F. SCHMIDT. AUTOMATIC STOPPING AND STARTING MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE IT. 1918.

1,326,102. Patented Dec. 23,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w. F. SCHMIDT. AUTOMATlC STOPPING AND STARTING'MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE H, I9I8.

' Patented Dec. 23,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- h! EE I' attain:

W. F. SCHMIDT.

AUTOMATIC STOPPING AND STARTING MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE n. 19:8.

13%,102. Patented Dec. 23,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

luuentoz WILLIAM F. SCHMIDT, 0F BURLINGTON, IOWA.v

AUTOMATIC STOPPING AND STARTING MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Application filed June 11, 1918.

T 0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stopping and Starting Mechanism for Phonographs; and I do herebyv declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mechanismof simple and effective construction for automatically stopping and starting rotation of the record carrying turn-table of a phonograph.

The object of my invention is to provide for automatically starting rotation of the turn-table when the tone arm is swung to bring the sound box and stylus to the outer edge of the table or record, also to provide for automatically stopping rotation of the table by abrake when the tone arm has reached the end of the record near the center of the table. 7

Another object is to provide for adjusting and regulating the stopping and start-' ing mechanism according to any length of record, whether longer or shorter, by means of a slidingjoint connecting to a setting and stopping-lever and sliding on a guide-bar nearly at right angles to the setting and stopping lever.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the detail description of the construction and operation of the mechanism.

The matter constituting my invention will be defined in the claims.

The details of construction andoperation can be understood by reference to the accom panying drawings, in which y Figure 1 represents a top plan view of the stopping and starting mechanism, showing the tone arm and stylus swung to the outer edge of the turn-table.

Fig. 2 represents a similar view, showing the stylus and sound'box at the inner end of the sweep of the tone arm on the record.

Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of the turn-table in front of its spindle, and showing most of the operating mechanism in side elevation.

. Fig. 4represents a sectional elevation on Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Serial No. 239,478.

line 4-4, Fig. 1, illustrating my sliding joint for the setting and stopping lever.

Fig. 5 represents a perspective detail view of a latch and part of a starting lever.

Fig. 6 represents a transverse section on line 6-43, Fig. 3.

Upon the top plate 1 of the cabinet is mounted my mechanism connecting with the tone arm 5. The turn-table 2, carrying a record 2, is provided with a spindle 3 eX- tending down into the cabinet where it engages with the usual driving mechanism. The table is also provided with a peripheral flange 4. The tone arm 5 is mounted to turn in the usual manner on the top plate 1, and carries a sound box 6 having a stylus or needle 7 of any preferred construction. To the tone arm is applied a clamping ring 8,

' hinged at b, and having rigidly secured to one of its parts a tripping or operating lever 9, which terminates in a hinged or pivoted latch 11, connected thereto by a pin a. :1 setting and stopping lever10 is pivotally connected by means of a link 10 and pins a, a to the tripping or operating lever 9, and will be hereinafter described in connection with a sliding joint 22 and block 23 for adjusting the stopping and starting mechanism to the length of the particular record on the table.

The stopping and starting mechanism is mounted upon a supporting plate 14, se

cured to the top of the cabinet. An an gular starting lever 12, a bell crank, Fig. 1, is pivotally connected at cl to plate 14 and has pivotally connected at its outer end 6 a connecting rod 17. An abutment e is secured to plate 14 to limit the movement of lever 12 when pulled to the left by rod 17. This lever 12 has a beveled upper face 7" with a thick inner'edge f and a thin outer edge f at its outer end, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, while the engaging and pivoted latch 11 at the end of tripping lever 9, has a beveled lower face 0 with a thick outer edge 0 and a thin inner edge 0 so that the latch in passing in one direction, that is inward, will slide over the beveled face of the starting lever 12. Evidently as the tone arm moves inward it will swing inward theattached operating lever 9 with the latch 11.

A brake lever 15 is pivoted by pin 9 to the left'hand end. of late 14 and has fixed to its outer end a rake shoe or buffer 16 adapted to bear upon the inner face of the flange 4, as indicated in Fig. 3. The con neeting rod 17 engages at g with brake lever 15 and at its inner end with the inner end 6 of the starting lever 12. The lever 15 has a contact nose end 9. A trigger 18 is pivoted at 2' to plate lt and has at its outer end a contact nose It in position to be engaged by the setting and stopping lever 10. A retracting spring 19 is connected to a post p and to the brake lever 15 inside of its pivot g to apply the brake when the nose end 9" has been released as in Fig. 2. A detent 20, is pivoted at s in position to bear upon the nose of lever 15 and the outer end of trigger 18. An abutment n is fixed in plate is to limit the movement of lever 15, when pulled inward by the spring 19. Abutments 0, 0 in plate 14: limit the movements of trigger 18.

The setting and stopping lever 10 being pivotally connected by a link 10 to the tripping or operating lever 9, extends to the left below the turn-table and terminates in a handle 10". Near the middle this lever has an upwardly curved portion 10, Fig. 3, where it engages with a sliding joint 22. This joint, Fig. l, is composed of a sliding block and a semi-elliptical spring 24 arranged to slide on a guide-bar 21. The bar 21 may be a lateral extension of plate 14 and be secured to top 1 by a screw. The block 23 is approximately the shape of a capital (3, being open on one side to place it on bar 21. The block 23 and spring 2a are connected by a pivotal pin r to the setting and stopping lever 10 with the arms of the spring bearing on the top of the guide bar 21, making sui'lieiently strong contact there with to permit the lever 10 to be set and held in any desired position within the range of its movement toward or away from the brake mechanism.

In operating the phonograph and the stopping and starting mechanism, the stylus 7 is firstset in the last groove of the record, near the periphery of the record, and the setting and stopping lever 10 is set in the proper position by moving the sliding block 23 to a position on the guide-bar 21 determined by the distance which the tone arm is to travel, according to the length of the record. In swinging the tone arm over to or near the edge of the turn-table the thick edge 0 of the latch 11 will bear on the thick edge 7" of the starting lever 12 thereby swinging it outward and pulls rod 17 and brake lever 15 to the right, and releasing the brake shoe 16 from the flange 4: and permitting the turn-table to revolve. As the stylus passes toward the center of the record and the operating and tripping lever 9 is carried inward by the tone arm, the pivoted and beveled latch 11 slides over the beveled end of the lever 12. This movement of tripping lever 9 moves the inner end of lever 10, so as to cause its outer end to bear upon the nose h of trigger 18 and operate the detent 20 to release the end 9 of brake lever 15, when the spring 19 will pull said lever 15 to the right, with the nose below trigger 18, as shown in Fig. 2, and apply the brake shoe 16 against the flange at of the turntable, thus stopping the revolution.

The operation is all very simple and aecurate and mostly automatic. It can be operated by any unskilled attendant and has proved quite satisfactory in practice.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s 1. In mechanism of the character described, a turntable, a tone arm, a tripping lever mounted rigidly on said arm and having yielding means for engaging with a starting lever, a pivoted brake lever having a brake shoe adapted to bear on the turntable, means adapted to hold the shoe in contact with the table, a starting lever pivoted in position to be engaged by said yielding means, a rod connectingthe brake to the starting lever, so that when the latter is engaged by said means on the tripping lever the brake will be retracted from the turn-table and the phonograph started.

2. In mechanism of the character 7 described, a turn-table, a tone arm, a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying at its free end a hinged latch having a beveled under face, a starting lever pivoted in position to be engaged by said latch on manual movement of the tone arm'and its attached lever to the starting position on the record, a pivoted brake lever having a shoe adapted to bear on the turn-table, means connecting the brake to said starting lever for retracting the shoe, a spring connecting with the brake lever to apply the brake, and releasing mechanism for the brake lever for permitting the spring to act.

3. In mechanism of the character described, a turn-table, a tone arm, a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying a yielding latch, a pivoted starting lever in the path of said latch, a pivoted brake lever carrying at its outer end a brake shoe, a rod connecting'the brake lever with the starting lever, a trigger for engaging the inner end of the brake lever, adjustable means for bearing on the trigger to release the inner end of the brake lever and a retracting spring for applying the brake shoe when the lever is thus released. I

4. In mechanism of the character described, a turn-table, atone arm, a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying a yielding latch, a pivoted starting lever in th path of said latch, a pivoted brake lever carrying at its outer end a brake shoe, a rod connecting the brake lever with the starting lover, a trigger for engaging the inner end of the brake lever, a setting and stopping lever, a sliding block to which said stopping lever is pivoted, for determining the distance which the tone arm is to travel, said setting and stopping lever being connected to the tripping lever and adjustable in position to bear, at its outer end, on the trigger to release the brake lever, and a re tracting spring acting on the brake lever to apply the brake shoe to the turn-table.

5. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a turn-table and a tone arm, of a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying a yielding latch, a pivoted starting lever in the path of the latch, a pivoted brake lever having a brake shoe, means connecting the two levers, means for engaging and releasing the inner end of the brake lever, an adjustable, setting and stopping lever loosely connecting at its inner end with said tripping lever, a sliding block or sleeve to which the stopping lever is pivotally connected for determining the distance which the tone arm is to travel,according to the length of the record, the outer end of the setting and stopping lever being adapted to bear on said engaging and releasing means for the brake lever and a retracting spring acting on the brake lever to stop revolution of the turn-table at the end of a record.

6. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a turn-table anda tone arm, of a tripping lever secured to said arm, setting and stopping lever loosely connected to said tripping lever, a sliding block or sleeve, a guide-bar on which said block is mounted, a spring between the sleeve and bar, a pivotal pin connecting the sleeve to the setting and stopping lever, whereby said lever may be set in the desired position to determine the distance which the ton arm shall travel according to the length of the record on the turn-table.

7. In a mechanism of the character described, a turn-table, a tone arm, a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying a yielding latch, a pivoted starting lever in the path of said latch, a pivoted brake lever carrying at its outer end a brake shoe, a rod connecting the brake lever with the starting lever, a trigger for engaging the inner end of the brake lever, a setting and stopping lever, means for adjusting and holding said lever inward or outward according to the length of the record and the distance the tone-arm is to travel, said setting and stopping lever being connected to the tripping lever and in adjustable position to bear, at its outer end, on the trigger to release the brake lever, and a retracting spring acting on the brake lever to apply the brake shoe to the turn-table.

8. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with a turn-table and a tone arm, of a tripping lever rigidly secured to said arm and carrying a yielding latch, a pivoted starting lever in the path of the latch, a pivoted brake lever having a brake shoe, means connecting the two levers, means for engaging and releasing the inner end or the brake lever, an adjustable setting and stopping lever loosely connecting at its inner end with said tripping lever, means for adjusting and holding the setting and stopping lever for determining the distance which the tone arm is to travel according to the length of the record, the outer end of the setting and stopping lever being adapted to bear on said engaging and releasing means for the brake lever, and a retracting spring acting on the brake lever to stop revolution of the turn-table at the end of a record.

9. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with a turn-table and a tone arm, of a tripping lever secured to said arm, a setting and stopping lever loosely connected to said tripping lever, a guide bar, a sliding block on said bar, said setting and stopping lever being pivotally connected to said block, whereby said lever may be set in the desired position to determine the distance which the tone arm shall travel according to the length of the record on the turn-table.

In testimony whereof, I atliX my signature.

WILLIAM F. SCHMIDT. 

